Jul 4, 2012

Naturally enough, the Fourth of July is not an official holiday in Israel. After all, Israel’s Independence Day is celebrated some two months before, commemorating the formal birth of the modern version of the ancient Jewish State on May 14th, 1948.

However it’s not difficult to find informal celebrations of America’s birthday in many parts of Israel today. The US Embassy in Tel Aviv estimates that there are some 150,000 American adults living in Israel, and another 30,000 or so children, most of them duo US-Israeli citizens.

Celebrating the 4th of July in Israel

While most do not publicly celebrate the American Independence Day, enough do so to be noticeable in city parks and restaurants, especially in places with large American immigrant communities like Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh and Netanya.

The American Embassy in Tel Aviv holds an annual gathering to mark the holiday, usually attended by diplomats from other countries and by Israeli government officials and business leaders with connections to the United States.

However, in parks around the country, it’s hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill that characterize celebrations of the Fourth of July.